Acts of the apostles 22:30; 23:6-11
Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.
Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound. The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
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The Pharisees believed in the resurrection from the dead while the Sadducees did not (easy to remember – they were “Sad-you-see” because they did not believe in the resurrection). These were all faithful Jews, but Paul’s preaching had caused a great divide among the Jewish leaders because of this teaching on the resurrection from the dead.
It is easy for us Christians in 2012 to believe in the resurrection from the dead. We have read about it, heard about it, experienced it in our hearts. It is 2nd nature to us as Christians to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. However, imagine how hard this would have been for the Jews of the time, or anyone for that matter. This was a new thing. Besides Jesus raising Lazarus and the little girl from the dead, no one had laid this claim.
Yet that is what we believe. Our God became man. He walked this earth like me and you. He lived our life and died our death. But death had no power over Him. His resurrection conquered death forever and it gives us hope today, that in 2012, we too will rise with Jesus to be with Him for all eternity in heaven. That is GOOD NEWS!
God was grateful for Paul’s bold preaching. He told Paul, “Take courage”. God tells us the same thing when we fear preaching the Gospel. God tells us the same thing when we do the right thing, even when it is unpopular. God tells us the same thing when we have to do something very difficult. “Take courage. It is I. I am with you until the end of the ages.”
Do I trust the Lord?
Do I truly believe that Jesus rose from the dead?
If so, how does this truth impact my life?
God bless,
Fr. Burke
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